So according to The Guardian today, Marc Jacobs can't "fix the economy". As fashion's famed and notorious awaited his new collection in New York this week, many expected him to be the silver-lining to America's recession by giving them something, anything, to talk about.
Little did they expect that the vibrancy of his latest 1980's inspired collection would not encapsulate the sombre mood of 2009 to their liking. "What, is it going to help the economy if i do an all-black collection?" he reportedly spat backstage after his fashion show.
He's right. If fashion cannot bring back hope, then what can? Who can forget also that the eighties, that decade of excess and large, permed 'do's, lived through that recession? The world reared it's head afterwards triumphing and re-building its economy with even more panache for consumerism than ever before.
Marc Jacobs is not a politician, or even an economist. He is a businessman. He may not be able to single-handedly turn the rueful and now frowned-upon frivolity of the fashion industry around, but he will undoubtedly make his mark doing so. A man whose creative energy captures today's zeitgeist so accordingly is hard to fault.
According to The Guardian he even slashed his guest list by 60%, ensuring that the seats on the front row were occupied by none other than Anna Wintour, and Desiree Rogers, the social secretary to the Obamas. There was no other celebrity present. Whether this was a political move or not, Jacobs has managed to make headlines for the right reasons.
People like to blame fashion for not being conscientious enough and too consumerist and indulgent. But who is to say you can't be economically conscious and fashionable? The stigma attached to loving clothing paints the average fashionista as empty and narcissistic, making it hard to be considered a serious thinker of today. At the same time, such people expect designers such as Jacobs to "downplay" their role as innovator in a time of need.
Such people need to be reminded that if the world needs hope, one needs to look no further than today's fashion designers for just that. Stella MacCartney, Eley Kishimoto, Katherine Hamnett, and now, to add to the long list of names, Marc Jacobs.
Jacobs is hope for the future. His colourful and non-defeatist collection screams happiness, hope, and fun is the way forward and out of this recession. Like it or not, his designs make a lot of people happy, and give them something to look forward to every season in these bleak, money-orientated times. I have never needed a better reason to purchase another Marc Jacobs bag than now.
Thank you, Marc, thank you.
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